


Cuddling Therapy

by anassa_anemou



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bucky Matchmaker, Counselor Sam Wilson, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Friendship, Happy Ending, M/M, Platonic Cuddling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-18
Updated: 2016-04-18
Packaged: 2018-06-03 02:40:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6593398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anassa_anemou/pseuds/anassa_anemou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam's mind is officially blown. But, and that’s an important but, he doesn’t really consider doing it. He just thinks  about it because it is interesting and he might recommend to a few of the other veterans at work, after he discuss with his boss, of course. And because it’s for work, he searches other sites and companies and prints several contracts to think about it.</p><p>Right.</p><p>Or the one where Bucky plays matchmaker at Sam and Steve, his counselor and his best friend that also happens  to be a professional counselor.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LadyReisling](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyReisling/gifts).



> This piece is T rated because of some themes related with PTSD,there is no mentions of sex, graphic trauma or any other them in this work.  
> Any piece of counseling written came from my own experience with such and should not be held as true or irrevocable experience. The research I did about professional cuddling was made after I watched a video of BuzzFeed, and it's not by any means, supposed to be a faithful portrayal of the services provided by such professionals and I encourage you to search it and understand I used this as a plot moving device. 
> 
> No view, action or opinion of the characters are a faithful portrayal of how therapy is supposed to work, does work and should work. Be aware this is a work of fiction.

The person that suggests Sam to contact the company is his mother, and he feels his face going hot as she mentions it. One of her friends, an old lady, childless, got recommended by her doctor and Sam frowns at his mother when she repeats that it was Ms. Marion’s doctor that recommend the treatment. He doesn’t like her tone; his mother always means well, but he doesn’t like her to worry; or to meddle with his life.

At first he thinks she is kidding or that Ms. Marion pays a prostitute and the girl is just too sweet to send a old lady off, especially one so adorable as her - the woman uses disney merchandise everywhere and thinks colorful hair is just what god recommends when the grey turns white. Sam smiles politely at his mom and she pinches his ear, making him really pay attention and he does, he even pockets the card she gives him; doesn’t even throw it off when he gets home. He honestly does forget about the conversation, until he is looking through Youtube and he finds the damn video.

He loves the channel, it’s full of racial and gender discussion, it’s funny and carefull. So when he sees the video title he clicks on it without really thinking and then he runs to his bedroom and pulls the pants he dropped in the hamper when he got back from his mom place, plucking the card from it. And so Sam is really presented to the professional cuddling world and his mind is blown. 

People actually offer platonic touching, talking and the whole package, minus sex. They come to your house, or you go to theirs and they cuddle you, talk and touch and you pay for it. Like a hooker, but without the nakedness and the fluids. He rewinds his thoughts and corrects himself: people offer a service in exchange for money, and while it’s not for him, he should not condone any type of work, nor should he use the word hooker.

Still, his mind is officially blown. But, and that’s an important but, he doesn’t really consider doing it. He just thinks about it because it is interesting and he might recommend to a few of the other veterans at work, after he discuss with his boss, of course. And because it’s for work, he searches other sites and companies and prints several contracts to think about it.

Right.

***

A month later he gets a card from Anthony, a simple “thank you, it’s not weird”, followed by a text “not murdered,yey” from Janine a week later and Sam thinks that will be all. He found a way to help two of his veterans and his boss thinks he is sort of the propaganda for alternative therapy, so he puts Sam to do three seminars on the next three Sunday afternoons and doesn’t that sound awesome - he is being sarcastic, Sam loves his lazy sundays spent in bed, eating all the junk food he didn’t eat the other six days of the week.

He goes to aura cleansing, that he isn’t really sure if the guy presenting it is high or not, because he went to a retreat and the coach was quite down to earth when presenting the same seminar, tai chi, which he loves and and ends up signing at a local gym, and a tantric massage guide that he is sure Kyle sign him up for giggles. Kyle is his asshole boss, that while really supportive of Sam, loves getting him out of his comfort zone or simply likes pranking him when he knows Sam won’t get mad.

The tai chi helps a lot,and Sam likes starting his day quietly like that, and so the whole platonic cuddler professional gets pushed to the back of his mind, until he meets James and then he is completely doomed. 

***

“Hi, my name is James and this is my first therapy group.” James is quiet and he doesn’t talk in the sessions, not even when Sam asks by his sixth if he would be comfortable to share this time. He isn’t,and he curses like a sailor when Sam looks his way the next four times.

Sam is not worried per se, because there are a lot of veterans that take time to talk, he has two of them that simply don’t even look at anyone in the eye,but he knows how much effort they put in coming to the sessions, how they have to sometimes be almost brought by force by their family members and how one of them is on a mandatory program, because he tried to kill the family dog and his wife threatened to file for divorce if he didn’t attend. 

“James, I need to ask, were you in any treatment after discharge,besides the mandatory discharge consult?” Sam asks first when James requests an individual session.

“My friend dragged me to see a psychologist, but I didn’t like her, nor the next three people he appointed me with. And I used his services for a year when I came back, so I had someone to talk to, without burdening him, well, at least I payed for it.” James scratches his head and Sam sharpens his focus. 

“What services?” Sam asks as neutrally as possible and he hears James speak in a quick murmur,but he gets it. “A few of the veterans I consel really liked the professional cuddler and I started the Tai Chi program with alternative therapies in mind. Would you like to tell more about your experiences with the psychologists?”

“I didn’t fit.” James frowns and then continues. “It’s hard to speak some days, and they didn’t say anything either.” Sam nods and notes the frustrating tone on James.

“Are you liking the group?” James head bobbles in his neck and Sam gives him a soft smile. “Alright, let’s do things in small increments. Continue to come to the group and I’ll set a new meeting for us in one month, but do feel free to schedule with me if anything come up.” 

James looks weirdly to him, and his nodding in much softer now. They stay in silence for a few minutes and Sam can see the frustration starting to settle back at James’ face. He smiles again and gives him his card, with his cellphone and email and nudges at James hand.

“Let’s go at a slow pace, call if you need, anytime and continue to come to the group. I’ll only ask that you consider sharing in one of our sessions; consider, if you are not ready, it’s fine.”

“Thank you, Wilson.” Sam gives him a wave and James gives him a tiny smile, almost a quirk of lips, but it’s good.

And that’s how Sam ends up texting with James the whole month and how Steve enters in his life, via James setting up a casual lunch with him, strictly out of the relationship between counselor and counselee. Oh yes, Sam is taken to a blonde’s table and before he can complain that he is waiting for James, blonde guy - Steve - says his is Bucky’s friend. 

Sam is considering killing James, just for the fun of it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains a very short mention of prostitution, it is not graphic.

“I’m sorry if this seems weird and overstepping, but James wanted to do something nice for you and I sort of agreed?” Steve smiles at him, shy and cute and a mountain of muscles and Sam wants to punch his adorable face and suck on it at the same time.

“I need to install in James some boundaries, but then, he uses so little of the one on one time and the texting is so absurd and funny, that I kind of don’t want to say anything. And you? How come you thought this was a good idea?” Steve gets slightly pink and shakes his head as a dog, before asking the waiter for a water and waiting Sam to ask anything he wants; Sam doesn’t.

“Bucky doesn’t ask for a lot, you said that, and he called me and said he met someone at the VA that he really liked, but they might need some company and he wanted to pay, but I told him I would do a free one, for the person to see if that was what she wanted, no harm done if it wasn’t.” Steve gulps the water to half the glass and pauses, waiting for Sam to say anything.

“Company? Paying?” Sam considers that and then smacks his face with his hand. “You are the cuddler friend he used to pay.”

Steve nods, just like James when he gets excited, he bobbles his head. 

“Ok, Steve, this is really weird.” 

“I know, but I think you might like it? People really forget that touch helps a lot when you come back and isn’t comfortable yet with a relationship. Or you just need someone not involved in your life to talk and have lunch or run.” Steve looks so earnest that Sam almost melts, but he shakes his head.

“Look, thank you for coming Steve, I appreciate, but I don’t think this is the right fit for me. I also don’t think it would be appropriate considering how I’m becoming James’ friend.”

“Oh. Ok.”

Sam takes his leave, and doesn’t look back. He does send James a message.

**Sam - 14 pm**  
_I’m still here for anything you need. But I’m not talking to you about others things. We are going to talk about boundaries in the next meeting._

***

_James looks very uncomfortable in his next meeting with Sam, and Sam almost wants to make him uncomfortable, but he won’t. They both deflate when Kyle enters the room, doing a round to see which counselors are doing sections with whom. When he leaves, smile in the face, James turns to him with puppy dog eyes and Sam wants to pinch his cheeks._

_“Please don’t send me to another counselor, I’ll be good, I promise.”_

_“I don’t believe you are good, but I can give the benefit of the doubt.” James quirks a brow and Sam gives him a nod. “Look, there might be a time that we will need to assign you with another counselor, but I promise we will discuss it together and try to find someone that is a good fit.”_

_“Maybe. I might lock you inside your office and only let you go when you promise to never ditch me to find other, prettier boys to take care of.” Sam shakes his head and throws his stress ball into James head._

_“Stop being silly and let’s start our counseling session. The subject of today's: boundaries.”_

_James makes a face and Sam cackles. They are going to discuss very thoroughly how, even if they are starting to maintain a friendship outside of work, Sam is still James’ counselor and he should respect his wishes; which include not making a trap for him with his cute blonde friend._


	3. Chapter 3

It should be the end, but Sam stumbles into Steve in the coffee shop, and at the grocery store, and at the pharmacy when he goes to grab some aspirin. They also discover that they run the same track, but in opposite periods, Steve in the Saturday morning and Sam at the afternoon - Steve changes his routine and starts running beside Sam, when he gets a new customer that only has her mornings free. 

Sam gets home and has interesting showers after his run. Steve is amazingly gorgeous and sweet and Sam wants to have his babies. Or you know, just a date, maybe. He doesn't ask for the date and James keeps laughing at him every time they meet. So of course Kyle meddles in and sends him to a session with the local cuddling center, because he absolutely needs to see for himself how the program works and guarantee other veterans will benefit of the orientations he can give about the treatment.

His professional cuddler is of course Steve. Because his life is just like that.

***

“I can try and change spots with someone if you prefer, but I think all sessions already started.” Steve scratches at his head, face almost relaxed if it wasn’t for the tense curve of his shoulders. 

“Let’s just get this over it.” Sam grumbles and sits at the bed, he grabs the folder and starts reading the contract, while Steve hovers at the bed. 

It is a pretty standard contract and Sam notes Steve already signed the neat line with his name. Sam glares a bit more and then signs it, giving it to Steve who looks sadly at him. 

“I can just explain to you how it works, and we don’t need to do anything. There are a lot of customers that will just talk to me in the first sessions.” 

“Kyle will piss me off, if I don’t do it, it’s fine. I’m counting on you to guide me and don’t make this even more awkward.” Sam glares at him and Steve gets a determined face at him. 

“Mr. Wilson, I need to know your prefered method for the session, with all clothes or without, as per the contract at least our undergarments have to stay.” Steve looks at him with a hint of a smile when he snorts and Sam tells him to call him just Sam and keep his clothes on. “Alright, I’m going to sit beside you and we can go from there, ok?”

Sam nods and Steve let’s their shoulders and side of the arms touch. Steve is warm and he breathes steadily, not even a hint of embarrassment. It makes sense, if Steve is doing this for a while, he might only see it as his job. Steve hums and very quietly puts an arm around Sam’s shoulder, lightly embracing him.

Then he moves his hip and pulls Sam closer, bringing his other shoulder against him, until his head is laid against Steve muscular chest and Sam starts sobbing. It’s not something he was expecting, but having Steve’s strong arms holding him close, making him warm, it makes him float with an emotion he had no idea from where was coming from. 

Steve doesn’t say anything, just holds him and Sam goes limp, he maneuvers them until Steve is holding him down in bed, spooning him from behind. Time passes and Sam clings to Steve, even when the chime by the door rings and Sam knows it’s the end of the session.  
“Call if you need this, please, Sam? I know Buck went the wrong route with it, but he just wanted to do something nice after he felt so comfortable around him. You don’t need to pay, I’m glad to do it as a thank you for keeping Bucky in therapy.” Steve says roughly and Sam shakes his head, pulling himself out of the bed.

“Go on a date with me.” Sam blurts and immediately looks horrified, but Steve just smiles at him.

“Yes, but only if you don’t tell Bucky until after it, I don’t want him to brag about matchmaking us together.” Steve says with an open face, something Sam thinks it says he doesn’t mind at all Bucky’s meddling, but for the time he ignores it.

He slips Steve his card and thanks him for today, smiling shy when Steve says he will text a time as soon as he checks his appointments. Maybe he will tell James and Kyle about it,or maybe not. He thinks he will keep Steve for himself for a bit.

He also thinks that if he and Steve don’t work out, he might call another cuddling company, maybe, if he finds a fit. He has his fingers crossed that him and Steve will work out, it’s been quite some time since he had anyone steady and he appreciates the Steve he met so far; if they set boundaries, of course.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! I hope this was close to what you wanted, I struggled a bit in finding the tone for the story and writing PG themes, something I often forget in my fics. But I'm really glad for the opportunity, because I end up having quite some fun with the characters.


End file.
